Tuesday 30 December 2008

Happy NYE..bye bye 2008

I am back and need to backtrack a bit as I completely ran out of time to post my handmade Christmas gifts. I haven't been well and decided to take a little break and just enjoy some time with the family.

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope your day was special. Ours was - family, too much food and lots of excitement!. It was the first year that the girls actually understood what Christmas was about and it was such a joy to watch the excitement on their faces when opening their pressies.


Amy Butler Birdie Sling. This is my first ever bag and I was extremely happy with the finished result. It was so easy! I will be making this up for me next, with a few slight changes!

Lining of my Amy Butler Sling - I just used a plain drill

Cupcake and Icy pole dresses for the girls. You can't half tell that I love this pattern?

Short longs for the little one - orange stripes and vintage smurfs

I saw these tote-able towels over at And so, I sew and I knew they would be prefect for my girls and also my cousins. I made a few changes as I found it really hard to sandwich the towel between two pieces of material. (I think I was running out of patience and energy - thank god for Mum's help). So I just sewed a rectangle of material onto the top side of the towel, with a hem turned under on all 4 sides. Before sewing all they way round I pinned in the shoulder strap and a small strap. Too easy! Thanks for the inspiration Karen.






Vintage boxers for my cousin

A reindeer Christmas shirt for the little one

Phew.....all done. And on that note Happy New Year. My new years resolution is to be a more consistent blogger. I am enjoying blogging and the inspiration from other amazing crafters is fantastic. So THANK YOU

Tuesday 9 December 2008

Christmas Crafting...slowly

Well Christmas crafting is happening here..just very slowly. Life is busy and coupled with sleepless nights it just doesn't help the creativity and motivation!!! But we will get there.

I finished my Christmas wreath last night by following this
tutorial by Katy. Its fantastic. So quick and easy. I can't believe I put it off for so long.


And some Christmas pj's for the kids. For the girls I used vintage sheets that I bought from the op shop during the year. They look great and feel so comfy. And the little man's pair is made from some car fabric that I picked up at Spotlight during my last visit.



Tuesday 25 November 2008

Christmas Crafting

We made a start on our Christmas crafting yesterday. We had a great time. Thankfully I chose to set it up outside as we had paint from one end to the other (literally). We made some Christmas paper with a roll of brown paper, potato stamps, stencils, red and green paint and glitter. They girls want to use it to wrap their aunties pressies!! Its a bit rustic but I am sure it will look great under the Christmas tree.
Our Work In Progress

I also got an email today to say that Issue 5 of LMNOP was out. I love this little mag. There are some great Christmas Ideas in this issue. If you haven't seen it pop over to LMNOP and subscribe. You won't be disappointed.


I have been also doing some tea dying, just by following these instructions. Its for a pressie on my Christmas list. Its worked wonderfully and hopefully I can share the finished product soon.

Monday 24 November 2008

M.I.A.

It feels like ages since my last post (I feel like I am becoming a crafting fraud). This working gig is hard going. I was originally only meant to work two weekends a month but there is a real shortage of staff so its been every weekend and this will continue until Christmas (can't complain too much as the money is good). I just hope I can get through my Christmas list. I have been doing lots of cutting out (this is my least favourite thing) with the hope that I will get through things faster, if they are all ready to go.

I have managed a few little things between work, sick kids with gastro and a missing daddy for a few days!!!



Cupcake bloomers for a little girl in the US to wear next summer (modelled by the little man as I was a bit worried they were too small. Just don't tell Dad!)



A Ladybug and Butterfly shift for a little girls 4th Birthday - she is mad about creepie crawlies!

A taggy giraffe that I am working on. I have re done him and made him a bit more boxy (he was too difficult to turn). I think he will make a nice pressie for all the bubs that have been born lately.

Monday 10 November 2008

Wet Washing...

Hanging on the line.. I love looking out my kitchen window and seeing my newly washed fabrics blowing in the wind. I ventured out to spotlight yesterday (my final trip until after Christmas). It was chaos. So busy..but hopefully I have everything I need. Its only 7 weeks till Christmas and its time to start working on my big To Do list. I scored some great fabrics on the bargain table. Beautiful cotton that feels like a linen. Reduced to $3 a metre. It came home with me and will turn into something for the girls for Christmas




Wednesday 5 November 2008

Giveaway at Tollipop

OMG look at this fantastic giveaway at Tollipop . I hope I win, her illustrations are gorgeous and I can picture them hanging in the girls room!

Wednesday 29 October 2008

Gathered Shorts

A cute pic of them together....
Cheeky girls wiggling their bums when I asked them to turn around

Front view with Miss A looking like she has Harry High Pants!! I don't normally tuck their t-shirts in but this was hiding a big stain leftover from lunch.

Not much sewing happening at the moment. I am feeling exhausted and just hanging out for a trip to the coast tomorrow to have some time with family and 2 very good friends and their families. But I did get inspired by a little pair of shorts I saw over at Ten In the Bed . They are by Monstar and I thought they would be just perfect for summer. Here is my version. A little fuller but the girls love them, which is always a bonus.

Thursday 16 October 2008

Fisherman's Shorts

Archie has a cute pair of knit pj pants that I love. Unfortunately they were getting too small. I decided to draw up a pattern for some summer shorts. They turned out bigger than I expected (the girls also fit into them!). Which probably means he will get 2 years wear out of them. They are made from a pair of fisherman's pants that my sister bought back from Thailand last year (yay love recycling). The pants were great for straight after my pregnancy but now I am getting some shape back they are not overly flattering. I used a front seam from the pants as a front seam for the shorts and I have to say..I love them!! Perfect for chasing bubbles in the back yard....

Sunday 12 October 2008

Pink Cupcakes

Amongst the tonsillitis, snotty noses and ear infections..I did get some birthday sewing done for our special friend. I was inspired by a little dress that the girls were given by my aunty when they were 12 months old. It was cute but just didn't get much wear as they were crawling when it fitted. The girls and I ventured out to spotlight prior to the party and I asked them to pick some material. They chose...pink cupcakes. Not normally my choice but I think it turned out cute. I haven't heard yet if it fits or if the little girl likes it...which is rather disappointing! The girls also chose some materail for themselves that they want a dress made out of..so I must get organised. The last week has flown by and with all the lurgies in the house nothing much happened. I have big plans to make them some clothes for playschool now that its warming up, hopefully this week.

Wednesday 1 October 2008

More Op Shopping

We are back from visiting the family in Regional NSW. It was a big trip and it took me a week to recover. I am currently having a little sewing (blog) break. The kids are on holidays so we are just enjoying some time together and getting out and about in this lovely, hot spring weather. I did manage to visit a couple of op shops up north and picked up two more vintage sheets (at $1.50 each) that I will use to make the girls some summer pj's or lounge pants and a gorgeous basket that will be used to hold my ribbons and buttons. Love it! I will get back into sewing this weekend as we have a party to attend on Tuesday and I plan to make the party girl a little dress. The girls helped me pick some cupcake material yesterday for her dress and lets just say its very pink!


Here is the quilt that my Mum made Nan for her 80th. Its not a great photo but she printed out photos of the family. Nan was thrilled and plans to hang it on the wall above her bed for the summer months. Its a really thick flannel. I wish I had the patience to learn how to quilt!

Tuesday 16 September 2008

How we love Fridays....

On Fridays Master A and I drop the girls at playschool and head off to the fresh food markets to get our bags of fresh fruit & veg for the coming week. I love Fridays as it means the weekend is near and we get to take in the sights and sounds of the market, while sitting in the sun and enjoying our morning coffee! If Master A is in a good mood after the markets we often head to the op shop. Their is an op shop near the market - a Salvos Warehouse and I often do well. Well last Friday was no exception and we got this fantastic haul of fabric......

From the top, a knitted jumper for Master A for next winter, grey wide wale cord about 3m, brown denim about 3m, a gorgeous aqua blue vintage sheet that I can see making the girls some summer pj's and a single bed vintage smurf sheet..all for $9.50
There will be no op shopping or sitting in the sun this Friday as we are driving north to spend some special time with my family and help Great Nanna Shirley celebrate her 80th Birthday.

Sunday 14 September 2008

Spring time Pants



I finally finished these pants during the week. They are perfect for our spring time weather. I used a CREAM Japanese linen and the girls picked a favourite material for the cuffs. The linen is gorgeous but just not very practical for climbing tress and playing in the dirt!! But I love them. Simple, quick and we had a lot of comments from our playgroup friends when we wore them on Thursday.

Birthday Sewing...


The girls turned 4 today so I have been busy with some birthday sewing.

Hobby horses which have been named Peoples & Billy. I used this pattern here with just a few slight variations as my hand sewing is terrible. As a result everything was done on the machine. The horses were a big hit with the girls.


And birthday Kimonos from the habitual pattern once again but I made the binding wider, lengthened the sleeves and shortened the width on the front panels as the girls are quiet small across the chest. I am really happy with how they turned out.

Wednesday 3 September 2008

Polka Dot Blouse




More Ottobre....this time the polka dot blouse from Spring 1/2008. I love it. It is a great fit. Its the perfect blouse for Canberra spring weather. The girls wanted to wear them today and of course its freezing. So we just layered with a long sleeved t-shirt underneath. I might make up a summer version and shorten the sleeves to just above the elbow. And rather than make the embellishment I added buttons. I have a thing for buttons at the moment....

Rainy Sunday = Habitual Kimono

A bit slow posting these photos. Sunday was cold, wet and miserable..perfect for some sewing. While Daddy napped on the lounge and the kids played..I whipped this kimono up for Master A. The pattern can be found over here at Habitual .

The pattern is very easy and I have two more cut out for the girls. This is my all time favourite fabric - Peas & Carrots by America Jane. I think it will make a great Christmas top with a pair of denim shorts. My model wasn't really in the mood. Too busy playing with his toys. I think I will finish the top off with a couple of little buttons. I hope this won't look too girly??

Thursday 28 August 2008

Party Dresses

Just excuse the scruffy hair and daggy tracksuits. We were not long home from a busy morning at playgroup
Last year the girls really wanted me to make them a party dress to wear for their birthday. Master A was only a month old so the sewing machine was on an extended holiday. This year when they asked again I was determined to make them something special. We seem to start a 4 month roll of birthday parties and special occasions, including Great Nanna Shirley's 80th next month. So the girls picked their fabric and when I got my first Ottobre Magazine I immediately found their party dress - the Jigsaw Pinnafore. They were incredibly easy to sew together, only a couple of hours and that was for 2 dresses. The cutting out took a little longer but only because I had to really think about what colours were going where!!! but I am delighted with them. They look so cute. I did have to take them in 3.5cm on either side. They were really wide. So I am not sure if this is standard with all Ottobre patterns or just this one?? I just need to find a white or cream long sleeved top to go under them as its still a bit chilly down here. This may prove challenging given that all the shops now have their summer stock out.

We Have Been Spoilt....


I won a giveaway last week on Leanne's blog Homemade Rainbows. The package arrived today and the girls and I couldn't wait to open it. It was full of goodies....


Beautiful vintage linens and buttons and some of her fabulous Yo-Yos



Handmade soap (which smells gorgeous) & paper, some seeds for my garden, two cloth birds (which the girls quickly claimed for themselves), a fabric garland and a booked called Rainbow Food which is all about eating by colour.

Leanne, thank you for your wonderful generosity. If you haven't discovered Leanne's blog then pop over and have a look. She has a garden I can only dream about and chooks!!